Wednesday, February 20, 2008

favorite six

during the next week, i hope to share some of my favorites from last year that never made it up. i'm going to be changing my website around a bit, so i've been looking through a lot of great stuff.
these six were up on one of the walls at the studio during the open house in december and i just love them together.











more california photos

me and suzy at the getty
and
the couple we rode across from in the tram



you be the judge

i think my almost-two-year-old painted her face in the likeness of our dog, barney.
coincidence?
i don't think so.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

jack's back

my favorite rocker baby was back for his six month photos.
here's a peek . . .

















betsy and nick

oh, i am on a roll.
betsy and nick were our last wedding of 2007. we went out with a bang.
they are one of those couples that you'd secretly like to hate because they are so darling and perfect. but they are just as nice as they are darling, so you just can't bring yourself to dislike them. nick is an attorney in florida, he was a director at catholic youth camp, where i counseled at all through high school and college. he's smart and funny and comes from a great family. betsy is just as smart, but much cuter. she is a real classic beauty and was so much fun to shoot.
nick was betsy's brother's friend all through high school. she was a couple of years younger. they finally got together while she was in college (it's ok, her brother is over it, now.)
they had a gorgeous reception at the temple, where saley really pulled out all the best. and her grandfather even managed to take a spin for the chicken dance, which he's done at every family wedding for a long, long time.
betsy told me it was sunny and 80 in florida the other day when it was snowing here, so that makes it a little easier to not like her. (just kidding, betsy.)
happy happy life to you two.



























self portrait

me in santa barbara.

santa barbara

so, i got to go straight from kim's visit to a trip to santa barbara with my dear friend suzy.
this was a bittersweet trip, as it was to remember my friend jay (who is suzy's son) on the fifth anniversary of his passing. jay and i moved to california together when we were twenty to chase our photography dreams. we became so close and i treasure the years that we had out there. he is my daughter's God father and is now her guardian angel. jay passed away in a car accident in 2003.
since then, suzy and i have traveled to california three times, and have really got our vacation down. she is so dear to me and we have such a great time together. we've become great friends and we really made the most of this trip. we spent our days watching the sunrise at the beach, hanging out at brophy's, shopping, seeing a lot of great art, and just drinking in the scenery. it is a truly incredible place.
we went down and picked up my friend erin 1/2 way to los angeles in the middle of the week. erin also made the trip to california to remember jay with her husband and the three of us had some really fun girl time in sb. (erin and i have been friends for 30 years-but we met in grade school, so that seems ok) she is a real beauty inside and out and somehow hiked about three miles in heels because she absolutely can not wear tennies with jeans. it just bugs her. she is a very down-to-earth, gracious and proudly high maintenance girl and i love her dearly. she is also one of the funniest people i have ever met.
we rounded out the week with a trip to l.a. and the getty and a big, jay-esque party in hollywood. we did NOT watch the sunrise following the big party in hollywood.
i took a lot of great photos in santa barbara and at the getty, but i've decided to spread them out over the next few months. that way i get to look at them again and share them in a way that they get to have their own little moments of fame. i will start out with photos of the girls.
love to both of you.



the callahans

the best part of january was hanging out with my family and some great, great friends.
kim and bomber came back to des moines to visit for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the month. kim and i have been friends for almost 24 years--i can't even believe this--as we met in homeroom our freshman year at dowling.
i need to take a minute to quit reeling from that number.
ok.
they are living in vancouver right now, so i get to make fun of kim when she uses canada-speak like "mat leave" and "grade two". the highlight of the visit was meeting sweet dakota rayne and becoming her God mother. what an honor. big sister devin gets more beautiful every time i see her. she is becoming quite sophisticated and speaks french!
i love these guys so much that it breaks my heart that i don't get to see them all the time. but i treasure their visits and being able to watch their family grow.



















i'm back

oh, i've been a bad blogger.
january was a great month for me with some much-needed downtime and rest. i'll start with some photos from last month and then gradually add some of the great families and brides i didn't get to last year.